Chapter 7: Steel Defense and Monster Strength!
The nun emerged from the forest, her eyes widening in horror at the sight before her. A crushed wolf. A mangled bear. And in front of them stood Linlin, her massive frame silhouetted against the light.
How powerful is this child?
…
As days passed, everyone at the Sheep's House—and even the giants of Elbaf—came to understand just how terrifying Charlotte Linlin truly was.
"Did you hear? She tried to swat a mosquito on the giant Ellie… and nearly shattered her ribs!"
"Scary! What kind of monster is she!?"
"Oh no—she's coming this way!"
"Run! Everyone, run!"
The children who had been gossiping about Linlin turned pale when they saw her thundering toward them, the ground trembling beneath her every step.
"No, Linlin! Don't come over here!" Hajrudin shouted as he fled for his life.
"Ahhh! Linlin's gonna kill me!" Gerth screamed, dashing behind Hajrudin with her hands raised over her head.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I shouldn't have stolen your breakfast!" wailed the Long-Arm child as he stumbled after them, tears streaming down his face.
Time passed quickly—like sand slipping through one's fingers.
October came and went.
And now, just as before, Linlin was still chasing the giant children around Elbaf, laughing as she went.
In the village of the giants, Casey and several others sat on massive logs, watching Linlin chase the young giant cubs.
By now, the giants had accepted Linlin and her strange human companion. None of them seemed concerned about the terrified cubs running for their lives.
After all, Linlin was still manageable—so long as her hunger hadn't struck. Once her cravings awakened, it was another story entirely. But until then, she was simply a child who didn't know her own strength.
"Play with Linlin!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The ground shook with every step as Linlin raced across the giant village, her laughter echoing through the mountains. In front of her, a crowd of young giants ran for their lives—giant pride be damned.
Roy sat cross-legged on a huge log, watching the scene unfold with a faint smile.
[Charlotte Linlin]
[Relationship: Best Friend]
[Intimacy Value: 260]
[Intimacy Points: 650]
Since October, Roy had continued to make delicious meals for Linlin while deepening their friendship. Her intimacy value had soared to 260.
After reaching 60 intimacy, every 20 additional points granted either a card flip or a talent enhancement. Roy had spent all his rewards upgrading his [Steel Defense], eventually unlocking its full 100 percent potential—making him as tough as Linlin herself. (And he still had one more upgrade left, but that would come later.)
Once a card reached 100 percent effect, it continued to grow stronger as its host did.
Each 20-point increase in intimacy also gave him 50 intimacy points, totaling 550 from Linlin alone. Combined with the 100 points gained from Gerth, his balance stood at 650.
But Roy hadn't yet used them to fix the chaos of time and space within his body.
Those 650 points could stabilize it for fifty years—but fifty years from now, the real story of One Piece hadn't even begun!
Most of the legendary women in the series weren't even born yet!
Roy wasn't about to sit around waiting for the plot to catch up. His plan was simple: grow stronger in Elbaf, then unleash the unstable power within him to trigger another time-space burst. With luck, he'd jump straight to the era of the Straw Hats.
If it worked, it would be perfect. Just basic temporal manipulation.
"Strange… why isn't her intimacy rising anymore? What's the cap?" Roy muttered, frowning as a translucent light screen appeared before him—visible only to his eyes.
[Host: Harold Roy]
Talent Cards:
[Steel Defense (Orange)]
[Monster Strength (Orange)]
[Observation Haki Talent (Green)]
[Armament Haki Talent (White)]
[Charm of the Opposite Sex (Blue)]
Friends: Charlotte Linlin, Gerth
Intimacy with Linlin: 260
Intimacy with Gerth: 65
He chuckled softly. After maxing out [Steel Defense], he had earned one more card selection—and he'd chosen Linlin's [Monster Strength].
But since it was his first time drawing that card, it was only active at 10 percent of its true power.
As for Gerth, Roy had maintained a good relationship with her—until he turned over her card and discovered that he couldn't equip any of the giants' talents.
That realization left him feeling a bit guilty, so he quietly stopped pursuing any deeper connection with the giant girl.
Perhaps the system itself found the "plug and socket" model too incompatible… and refused his devilish request outright.
"Roy! Want to come over and practice swordsmanship?" Hajrudin's voice echoed from the distance.
Roy turned his head, smiled, and picked up the wooden sword beside him. Leaping down from the massive log, he ran toward Hajrudin.
Yes, that's right—an ordinary human child sparring in kendo with a giant.
After all, Roy now possessed two talents inherited from Linlin: [Steel Defense] and [Monster Strength].
Even if his strength was only one-tenth of Linlin's, it was still enough to match a young giant in battle. His defense, on the other hand, was far superior.
"Did you finally shake off Linlin?" Roy teased with a grin.
At the mention of her name, Hajrudin visibly trembled and glanced around nervously.
Linlin had gone off chasing Gerth somewhere nearby, her thundering footsteps fading in the distance. Hajrudin silently wished the poor girl good luck and gave Roy a helpless smile.
"Stop it. I'm not afraid of her—I just don't want to bully her, that's all," Hajrudin muttered, trying to save face.
Roy chuckled, raising his sword and gesturing toward him.
"Oh? Are they about to start again?" the giant Casey called out with interest.
Several other giants turned their heads, watching the small figure of Roy standing opposite the towering Hajrudin.
Among the children at the Sheep's House, only two were true monsters—Charlotte Linlin, and Roy.
Though he was no bigger than an ordinary human child, his defense had grown steadily over the past ten months, until recently he had even awakened a burst of tremendous strength.
"Hajrudin! Don't embarrass me again—you'd better win this time!" A deep, booming voice came from afar.
It was the giant swordsman Redding, his massive blade hanging at his side.
"I–It's just a friendly match! No need to talk about winning or losing! Friendship comes first!" Hajrudin shouted nervously, his expression sour. The memory of his previous beatings by Roy still haunted him.
If he'd known Redding was nearby, he never would've called Roy out again.
Ever since Roy displayed his abnormal defense, Redding had taken an interest in him and decided to personally teach him swordsmanship.
As for Linlin... well, she was hopeless as a student—she was born a conqueror, not a student.
At first, Roy had the defense of an iron wall but lacked power. During those early matches, all he could do was block Hajrudin's attacks, patiently waiting for the giant boy to exhaust himself.
But ever since Roy obtained Linlin's [Monster Strength], things had changed. Hajrudin finally understood how it felt to be on the receiving end.
Now, under the gaze of the giants, two children—one massive, one small—stood facing each other, wooden swords in hand.
"Giant Swordsman Hajrudin, please guide me!" Roy said solemnly.
"Roy, please do the same!" Hajrudin replied.
Both bowed in respect, their voices echoing across the field.
And with that—
the kendo match began!
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